Differences Between Archival Quality Plastics

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Differences Between Archival Quality Plastics
You want the opportunity to show off your pictures and artwork - but you don't want them to get damaged. Thankfully, encasing them in plastic is a great way to show them off to the public without exposing them to the elements.

There are different plastic options that you can choose from. While they'll all help keep your prints safe, there are some differences that may help you choose which is right for you. Lets go over what they are.

  Polyethylene bags can protect against the effects of handling, dust, pollution and moisture and can be used for everything from cards and sheet music to matted prints in digital or conventional photographic media. They are very affordable, and have the advantage of being easy to load and the flap can be folded over and secured with a bit of tape for for added dust protection on the open end. Our 2- and 3-mil thick material offers a great combination of product strength and clarity. Our High-Density polyethylene has a slightly frosted appearance and is one of the few plastic sheet materials without any slip agents. Polyester side-loading print sheets are also commonly known by the names mylar, melinex and estar. They are semi-rigid and offer the highest optical clarity, so you can see your prints clearly while still protecting them from scratches, oils and fingerprints. They are also more chemically inert than other plastic enclosures, so you don't have to worry about the protective sleeve or adjacent prints chemically interacting.

  Finally, we have our polypropylene film and print sleeves, which are both economical and excellent for film, print and slide storage. Our clear polypropylene sleeves and Crystal Clear Bags make it possible to display your prints easily without exposing them to the elements. Polypropylene is chemically similar to polyethylene and will not interact with film.